Month: June 2017

It is no exaggeration to say last Saturday was the best day I’ve had in months. As my regular followers and readers know, my depression has not been particularly well managed as of late. Fortunately, no depressive episode lasts forever, and I’m feeling much more like myself. In the spirit of feeling happy, I went to Boston Pride with one my close friends and spent the long, exciting, exhausting day with a smile on my face the whole time.

For those of you who have forgotten what my face looks like.

I have been openly bisexual for about 10 years now (I can’t believe it’s been that long, honestly) and for much of that time, I’ve felt like my identity was invalid. Bisexuality is unique in that it’s a sexuality that doesn’t always get respected in either the queer or straight community. It certainly doesn’t help my case that I’ve never been in a committed relationship with a woman, although not for lack of trying; it seems any time I have had feelings for one either I’ve been afraid to tell them or they’ve had a girlfriend.

Because I’m bi, I am apparently straight and faking, gay and faking, or just “greedy”. Not to mention any time I list my sexuality on a dating website it’s like a homing beacon for couples to ask me if I would like to be their “third”. I don’t think I should need to state “I DO NOT WANT TO HAVE A THREESOME” on my dating profile, but it’s begun to feel necessary.

At Pride, those feelings melted away. I saw dozens of women running around with bisexual pride flags draped over their shoulders as capes. There were two separate booths just dedicated to bisexual folks. And all along the way, I didn’t feel like I needed to explain myself. I could just be Katherine, a girl who likes girls and guys who wanted to celebrate how beautiful love is.

It’s amazing how much the community has grown and changed. I remember when I first attended the festival it felt like a lot more of a gay and lesbian celebration than LGBTQIA. For each bisexual pride flag I saw, there were 10 transgender pride flags flying alongside it. I cannot speak to the experience of transgender folks, but I am certainly glad to see the growing love and support in our community. I can only hope that this shift within the queer community is a sign of greater things to come in America as a whole.

Katherine is a twenty-something year old writer from Greater Boston who is just trying to navigate adulthood. When she isn't writing, she enjoys going to concerts, painting, and spending time with her loved ones.